The Profiler: Alameda’s Dave Denyven

Dave Denyven may be a man of few words, but the Purple Heart and Bronze Star displayed in his living room cabinet speak loudly of his bold action years ago. Now the accolades continue as the Kiwanis Club of Alameda honors Dave Denyven for 60 years of active duty on the Island he now calls his home base.

Denyven was 27 years old when Russ Ford, the gentlemen from whom he bought his Everett Street print shop, told him it would be good for his business to join the Alameda Kiwanis. It proved to be a good idea for business, but it turned out to be even better for Kiwanis. Sixty years later, Denyven, 87, is Alameda’s longest-serving Kiwanian and also one of the Island’s oldest.

“I’m 87 now … I don’t try to hide it anymore,” he said.

His role as one of Kiwanis’ Meals on Wheels’ participants has him regularly rolling down Alameda’s streets on his recumbent bike, towing a trailer-load of meals to house-bound residents – most of whom are younger than him. Even when he isn’t on a specific assignment, Denyven is a frequently seen blur on Alameda’s streets, riding steady, with intention, low and swift and close to the ground.